Graziano Prà is a man of the soil. Raised in Soave among the vines, it was his father and grandfather who sealed his fate as a winemaker. For generations his family owned and worked vineyards but never produced commercial wines. Graziano changed his destiny in the early 1980s when he started the family winery. His goal was to respect and be true to his land while producing wines of great quality and finesse. Never wavering from this philosophy, purity remains a key word to describe Prà wines. Today, Prà is one of the top producers in the Soave appellation. Don’t be mistaken by Graziano’s humble personality; he and his wines have gained international fame.

The Prà holdings consist of esteemed vineyard sites in Soave and Valpolicella. The vines are farmed organically as Graziano is a firm believer in natural viticulture. He has farmed organically since the beginning and is now in the process of getting official certification for his 30 hectares in Soave. The 7 hectares in Valpolicella are already fully certified. All grapes are harvested by hand.

Monte Grande: Located in the heart of Soave Classico, Monte Grande is the prized vineyard of the estate. The Prà family has owned the vineyard for generations with much of the plantings done in the late 1970s. The vineyard is located about 500 feet above sea level. The rich volcanic soil imparts power, minerality and aromatic complexity to the wines, differing from the floral and acid-driven Soave produced from limestone-rich soil.

Monte Bisson: Purchased in 2016, Monte Bisson is the newest vineyard addition. It is located at the beginning of the Cazzano Valley just outside the town of Soave. A tower built by Venetians in the 1400s surrounds the hill.

La Morandina: Besides Soave, Graziano also produces Valpolicella and Amarone from a vineyard that he purchased in 2001. La Morandina is on the high slopes of the Mezzane Valley at an altitude of 1,640 feet. Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Oseleta grapes are planted in calcareous soils of glacial origin. The limestone and surface marl fossils produce wines of finesse and elegance. Cool breezes from the Lessini Mountains guarantee big ventilation and slow ripening of the grapes. Prà’s reds are fresh and mineral unlike some of the ripe and powerful reds that come out of the region.

Vinous 7/11/2019 "In my opinion one of Veneto’s two best Soave producers, Graziano Prà has been busy restructuring a century old estate in Monte Bisson (there’s an old watchtower that dates back to the fourteenth century), in front of the castle of Soave, that he bought in 2015 (fourteen hectares large, seven of which are under vine). There are six old colonic homes that are in the process of being fixed up and will be used as a bed and breakfast that Prà intends to use for friends and visiting wine professionals. The estate is also increasingly moving over to the Stelvin closure (commonly known as screwcap), since in-house trials have shown that the wines bottled this way perform better than those with the classical cork. The winery is changing over from cork to Stelvin system for all the old vintages in the estate library."

Vinous 9/27/2017 "Graziano Prà owns 37 hectares of vines in Veneto’s two most famous winemaking areas, Soave Classico (30 hectares) and Valpolicella (7 hectares). While his recent foray into the world of red wines has been highlighted by the production of outstanding Valpolicella and Amarone wines, further confirming the estate’s reputation as one of the very best in Italy, there is no doubt Prà has always been viewed as a quintessential white wine producer."

Pra 2018 'Otto' Soave Classico DOCVinousRating: 90 (7/11/2019)
Nectarine, lemon peel and white flowers on the flint-accented nose. Harmonious but bright acidity provides clarity and cut to the mineral orchard and herbal flavors. Finishes long and saline, with lip-smacking freshness. In my opinion, this wine is one of the top ten best buys in white wine that Italy offers just about every year, and it’s no different in this vintage. Well done. The wine’s name is that of Graziano Pra’s beloved dog (a Border Collie).

Pra 2017 Soave Classico, Monte Grande, DOCVinousRating: 93 (7/10/2019)
Ripe apple, pear and sweet spices on the captivating nose. Ripe but vibrant in the mouth, with noteworthy density and complexity to its almond paste, yellow apple, beeswax and lemony flavors. Finishes very long and suave with repeating floral notes and honeyed mouthfeel. Made with 70% late harvested Garganega and 30% Trebbiano di Soave. For my money, this is the Soave of the 2017 vintage. Well done.